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STEVEN BUDSBERG director of clinical research at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, on the news that more than half of U.S. dogs and cats are obese
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Emanuel gingerly hints at agenda as Chicago mayor DEANNA BELLANDI Associated Press
WIRE REPORTS
C HIC AG O — Even before he was elected Chicago's new mayor, Rahm Emanuel hinted there would be changes at City Hall: deep cuts to the budget, a possible shift in the City Council power structure and the expectation that unions would negotiate on pensions that pose a heavy burden for the city. How he goes about it is the big question. Emanuel's answer will determine whether a politician capable of overwhelming the mayoral competition by winning 55 percent of the vote can now master the delicate complexities of a fiscal crisis without hobbling the “City that Works� or triggering endless battles with the city's other centers of power. In his first post-election news conference Wednesday, Emanuel
offered only the vaguest of clues about what's in store for Chicago residents and city workers after he takes office in May and replaces the retiring Mayor Richard Daley. Although the city has a badly underfunded pension system, he, said he's committed to the current defined benefit plan for public employees — a major union priority — rather than pushing for a less costly alternative. But he also took a property tax increase off the table to raise more revenue. “We are not the only city facing this crisis or state. Every municipality is. I want to be the first city to solve it,� Emanuel said. The city's next budget deficit could exceed $500 million and could reach $1 billion if the city properly funds its pension system. Ralph Martire, executive director of the bipartisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and one of
many experts watching Emanuel's next moves, said the new mayor could look at cutting middle managers in order to avoid trimming direct service providers such as police officers and firefighters. Targeting midlevel managers wouldn't save a lot, maybe $20 million to $40 million, “but it's one of the first things you need to show voters and taxpayers that you're very serious about cutting costs,� Martire said. Most of the city's work force is unionized, so that limits the mayor's flexibility on personnel. Emanuel has already promised to freeze city spending when he takes office and cut $75 million from the city's existing $6 billion budget. Choosing some targets for reductions while sparing others will be difficult, but Emanuel, in contrast to his famously hard-charging personality, is offering himself as the embodiment of conciliation.
“I will reach out my hand to everybody to work for reform and enacting reform,� he said. David Axelrod, a former top Obama adviser who has known Emanuel for almost 30 years, said the soothing tones don't mean Emanuel isn't determined to get what he wants. “Whatever he sets his mind to, he does,� Axelrod said. “He's a very purposeful guy. And you know I think one of the reasons people turn to him is because they see that quality in him. It takes a big strong figure to lead a city forward, and Rahm is that kind of person.� Emanuel said he's looking for a new partnership with the City Council, which was largely docile under Daley but will soon have a new crop of aldermen. And Emanuel has suggested he wants to create new alliances with possible changes in powerful City Council chairmanships.
“They cannot be a rubber stamp,� he said. “That's unacceptable. The challenges are too big. They can't be what they were in the last years, they don't want it, the city doesn't want it, I don't want it.� U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, among those who celebrated Emanuel's win at an election night party, said Emanuel can't waste any time in figuring out how to deal with the council. Together, they have to figure out a way to spend much less without weakening education, public safety, the transportation system and other key services. “He's got to start working with the council that's already been elected as of tonight to put together a coalition that understands what we're going to have to do to make the government more transparent, more accountable, and more importantly fiscally responsible,� Quigley said.
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On prank call, Wis. governor discusses strategy to cripple public employee unions, pass bill
Libya revolt pushes oil past $100 per barrel for the first time since Oct. 2008
Apple expected to launch second generation of iPad tablet computers at March 2 event
MADISON — On a prank call that quickly spread across the Internet, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was duped into discussing his strategy to cripple public employee unions, promising never to give in and joking that he would use a baseball bat in his office to go after political opponents. Walker believed the caller was a conservative billionaire named David Koch, but it was actually the editor of a liberal online newspaper. The two talked for at least 20 minutes — a conversation in which the governor described several potential ways to pressure Democrats to return to the Statehouse and revealed that his supporters had considered secretly planting people in pro-union protest crowds to stir up trouble. The call, which surfaced Wednesday, also showed Walker’s cozy relationship with two billionaire brothers who have poured millions of dollars into conservative political causes, including Walker’s campaign last year.
NEW YORK — Oil prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit $100 per barrel for the first time since 2008, driven by growing concerns about global supplies, as Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi continued to lose his grip on the oil-rich country. Similar uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt earlier this month already had markets on edge before protests escalated in Libya, which has the biggest oil reserves in Africa. The rebellion widened Wednesday as protesters overwhelmed government buildings and advanced around Tripoli, the capital. West Texas Intermediate crude for April delivery jumped $2.68, or 2.8 percent, to settle at $98.10 per barrel in New York. Earlier in the day, prices hit triple digits for the first time since Oct. 2, 2008. WTI has soared 18 percent since Valentine’s Day. In London, Brent crude added $5.47, or 5 percent, to settle at $111.25 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. Brent, which is used to price oil in Asia, Europe and other global markets, passed the $100 mark on Jan. 31.
NEW YORK — March Madness could take on a whole new meaning if Apple gives the world another iPad next week. Apple Inc. is expected to unveil the second generation of its wildly successful media tablet, widening its head start against competitors just starting to sell their first tablet computers. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company e-mailed invitations to a media event in San Francisco Wednesday that show a calendar page with the corner peeling away to reveal an iPad underneath. The large “2’’ on the calendar page denotes the event’s March 2 date, but is also a hint that Apple is about to announce the follow-up to the original iPad. The iPad, about the size of a large book, has been likened to an overgrown iPhone or iPod Touch, as it is powered by similar software and can run the same applications, or “apps.�
Greek riot police, protesters clash during strike DEREK GATOPOULOS NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Associated Press AT H E N S — Youths wearing ski masks hurled chunks of marble and fire bombs at riot police as clashes broke out Wednesday in Athens during a mass rally against austerity measures, part of a general strike that crippled services and public transport around financially struggling Greece. Police fired tear gas and flash grenades at protesters, blanketing parts of the city center in choking smoke and forcing thousands of peaceful demonstrators to scurry into side streets for cover. A motorcycle police officer was hit by a petrol bomb and his uniform caught fire in the city's main Syntagma Square before he was rescued by colleagues. His bike was destroyed. Protesters chanting “Don't obey the rich — fight back!� marched to parliament as the city center was heavily policed. A brass band, tractors and cyclists joined the rally. Rioting youths smashed paving slabs, marble building fronts and white marble balustrades outside
central metro stations to use for hurling at police. Some 15 policemen were injured, and nine suspected rioters were arrested, including a man who was allegedly armed with a longbow, arrows and an axe, police said. The rally was part of Greece's first major labor protest this year as Prime Minister George Papandreou's Socialist government faces international pressure to make more lasting cuts after the nation's debt-crippled economy was rescued from bankruptcy by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. Police said some 33,000 protesters attended the Athens rally. Organizers said the turnout was around 100,000. Stathis Anestis, deputy leader of Greece's largest union, the GSEE, said a "small group of troublemakers" marred the otherwise peaceful protest. “Unfortunately, some people don't want to understand that such behavior, intentionally or not, undermines workers' struggles and only serves the plans of governments, employers, and all those who want to take
tough repressive measures against workers,� Anestis said. The sporadic clashes lasted for more than three hours. Several hundred protesters gathered outside parliament after the march and vowed to remain there until the government agreed to make concessions. They were eventually forcibly removed by riot police. Protest organizers at that gathering said they had been inspired by ongoing revolts in North Africa. Prime Minister George Papandreou, on a visit to Finland, said he sympathized with the peaceful protesters. “Economic situation (in Greece) is very difficult, and sometimes even I myself feel an urge to join the ranks of protesters,� Papandreou was quoted as saying to Finnish national broadcaster YLE. “But mere protesting leads nowhere. We need decisions that can genuinely help fixing the problems.� The 24-hour strike halted trains, ferries and most public transport across the country, and led to the cancellation of more than 100 flights at Athens International Airport. The strike also closed the Acropolis and other major tourist sites.
State hospital doctors, ambulance drivers, pharmacists, lawyers and tax collectors joined school teachers, journalists and thousands of small businesses as more middle-class groups took part in the protest than have in the past. Athens' main shopping district was mostly empty as most owners of small shops and cafes shuttered their stores. Unions are angry at the ongoing austerity measures put in place by the Socialist government in exchange for a â‚Ź110 billion ($150 billion) bailout loan package from European countries and the IMF. Greeks have endured months of pay and pension cuts, sales-tax hikes and other drastic spending reductions, but protests have been revived by longer-term reforms including involuntary transfers for civil servants and new market rules to end protective job practices for truckers, lawyers, pharmacists and others. The GSEE's Anestis said workers should not be asked to make more sacrifices during a third straight year of recession and job losses. “The measures forced on us by the agreement with our lenders are harsh and unfair. ... We are facing
long-term austerity with high unemployment and destabilizing our social structure,â€? Anestis told The Associated Press. “What is increasing is the level of anger and desperation ... If these harsh policies continue, so will we.â€? Elsewhere, about 15,000 people rallied, and minor scuffles broke out in Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, while Anestis said around 60 demonstrations were held in cities and towns across Greece. He said the GSEE was in talks with European labor unions to try and coordinate future strikes with other EU countries. Earlier this month, international debt monitors said Greece needed a “significant accelerationâ€? of longterm reforms to avoid missing its economic targets. They also urged the Socialist government to embark on a â‚Ź50 billion ($68 billion) privatization program to pay for some of its mounting national debt that is set to exceed 150 percent of the GDP this year. The IMF has said some of the frequent demonstrations against the Greek government's reforms were being carried out by groups angry at losing their “unfair advantages and privileges.â€?